1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mechanical member for favouring the movement of means of transport, suitable especially but not exclusively for facilitating the berthing or the mooring of boats.
2. Description of Related Art
It is well-known, the manuverings with which certain means of transport, such as boats, hulls and the like are placed in the stop position, at the side of a generic support structure or other means of the same or different type, are very critical and difficult.
Considering, for example, the case of a boat which must dock at the wharf or at the pier of a harbor or which, likewise, must moor close to other boats already moored, in particularly in a predetermined space between two of them.
The difficulty is primarily determined by two reasons: the unstable nature of the surface on which the means of transport move, such as the water, and the motion direction with which these means of transport are moved.
Furthermore, difficulties in maneuvering a means of transport will depend on the natural impediments and on the ability of the driver.
Therefore, it happens that, despite the extreme care taken on maneuverings by the drivers, in their movement of the means of transport inevitably and accidentally hit objects, with the obvious problems that this implies for the structural integrity of the means of transport and the objects that are hit.
Furthermore, in order to limit the damages that occur when means of transport collide, the drivers of the means of transport carry slowly the maneuver the means of transport and may be forced to repeat the maneuvers several times, which results in lengthening the time required for their completion.
Therefore, there is a need for careful maneuvering of the means of transport in the berthing of the means of transport in an area where there are many means of transport and any other structure or body is located close to the means of transport during the manuverings.
Various types of equipment are now available on the market, including inflatable fenders or fenders containing spongy or rubbery material, used to eliminate or limit the harmful effects which are caused by collisions between means of transport.
However, these elements, which sometimes project from the side of the boat or are sometimes fixed directly to the pier or wharf, only offer the opportunity to protect the means of transport from collisions in static conditions, namely when the means of transport are moored.
Therefore, they are not helpful in situations where the boat or the ship is moving.
After all, the main drawback in the prior art is linked to the absence of adequate protection against accidental collisions which can happen when one of the means of transport is moving.
A last but not least drawback is due to the fact that, in many cases, the accidental collisions cause huge damage both to the means of transport which cause the collision and to the other means of transport or facilities which suffer them, with the obvious disadvantages arising in terms of repair and/or replacement costs.
In the case of boats, the adverse effects of the casual collisions are magnified by the instability of the surface on which they move, which reduces their maneuverability. In addition, the value of the material of the hull which suffers the collisions, which are often fiber glass reinforced is also adversely affected.
The present invention aims to overcome the just cited drawbacks of the state of the art.
In particular, the main aim of the invention is to provide a mechanical member for protecting a means of transport which and any other structures from damage due to the accidental collisions caused by moving means of transport.
In other words, the invention provides an appropriate protection to means of transport or other structures from uncontrolled collisions caused by a means of transport. An example is a boat that is being moored or berthed at a pier or wharf of a port.
It is an object of the present invention to safeguard to a greater extent, compared to the prior art, the structural integrity of means of transport or other structures which come into contact with the means of transport when the means of transport are in motion.
Another object of the invention is to limit the need for repairs and/or the replacement of structural parts damaged by accidental collisions caused by moving means of transport.
A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanical member which, in comparison to the state of the art, simplifies, the maneuverings performed by the driver of a means of transport especially in the presence of other similar means or in the vicinity of any support structure.